The Hitting Zone

I felt relaxed in the box. The machine spat out a baseball very quickly, but my hands moved just as fast. I fouled the ball back. Not super great, but good enough to pass. The next pitch came as soon as I got back into my setup. I swung and fouled it back again. My swing is a little late, but that's okay as long as I keep connecting.

The great thing about pitching machines is their lack of variation. Once you're at a set speed, you know what to expect and it's all about getting into a rhythm and staying relaxed. No surprises. The balls kept coming and I kept fouling them back. I could adjust my swing and try for a few more hits, but there's no sense in risking it. Tyler only had one miss, so it'll be better if I just foul all twelve back and get the win.

I kept up the even pace. Set, swing, fouled back. I could hear Noah cheering from behind. He probably understood that I would choose to just foul all twelve back. Easy win.

"That's what I'm talking about!" He yelled after I fouled pitch number twelve back. "Left handed, twelve for twelve. We have a winner."

I rolled my eyes at his bragging, and slowly made my way out of the cage. My arms felt like jelly and the bat felt like it gained weight. 100 mph is no joke. I took the helmet off, and wiped off the sweat from my face as I stood next to Noah.

Noah was looking up at the four guys, arms crossed, smirking. "Well? Hand over the twelve dollars. A loser is a loser."

The baldy frowned. "Tyler has more hits. All your friend did was foul it back."

"Who was the one that said it's all about making a connection?" Noah shot back. "You made the rules, not me. Don't tell me you want to back out after losing to a shrimp like Jake."

Rude. I nudged Noah, making sure he could see my frown. I just won him some money and now he's putting me down? He should be praising his savior, me.

Noah was too focused on getting his money. He stood straight, hand out, waiting to be paid.

Baldy grumbled, but nonetheless smacked the money into Noah's hand. "Double or nothing." He declared once the money was handed over.

I shook my head no, yet Noah lived in his own world and nodded. "This time he gets to bat right handed."

"Most hits this time though." Baldy demanded.

I kept shaking my head and stepping back. Noah paid no mind, just held me in place with his arm around my shoulders. He whispered to me, "I'm doing this for you."

I looked at him, skeptical.

"The bat in your hands is sixty dollars. Scam them two more times and we'll have plenty. We can buy the bat outright and even have money leftover to play some more video games." Noah's plan had merits and sounded appealing.

"But..." I glanced at the cage. I don't know if I could win if it's based on hits and not contact.

Noah seemed to understand my worry. "Look, its a gamble. I get that. You win, we get you a bat and we play some more. You lose, I'll just call my mom to get us and then maybe we can convince her to get you the bat. You did have money leftover from yesterday's shopping trip."

I really didn't want to ask Mrs. Atkins for money. She wasn't my mom. And even if she was, that would be more of a reason not to ask.